Burning Lantern Bright
by Yumiii
Summary: KainXZero,KanameXZero. Kain knew Kaname was just using Zero as a pawn and killing the pureblood sounded like a good idea. But complications rose when he finds out Zero is in love with the vampire king. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: For those who are readers of Cross our hearts, don't hope to die... I apologise but it may take a much longer while. Even the update of this story might take an even longer while. Old grandma of mine is currently under critical condition and... well... I will leave the rest unsaid.

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Forewords (from months ago): Hurr hurr… I am being very, very bad… Anywho. **Burning Lantern Bright** is a sequel to _Fighting Fire with Fire_. It is recommended that you read Fighting Fire with Fire. And it may fill some loop holes.

Now, this story is mainly KainXZero, with some KanameXZero. I can see the demand for this pairing is moderately high, yet when I look through 's vampire knight collection… correct me if I'm wrong, but I hardly found any KainXZero fics. O.O it's kinda sad because I rather like this pairing (actually I like any yaoi pairing with Zero the uke XD)

This would be my second attempt on a KainXZero story. But I'm really happy that those who read _Fighting Fire with Fire_ had loved it so. And the demand for the sequel or another KainXZero… WELL NOW. here you go! Both wishes are granted! A sequel AND a KainXZero. O.o I think I might get hooked onto this pairing. Nah I still love KanameXZero :heart:

Anywho, go ahead and enjoy

**Burning lantern bright**

Kain couldn't stop thinking about that night. It had been a few days since then, but it still felt like yesterday. He could still distinctly remember the texture of those soft lips… and that kinky piercing of his tongue. It had actually scarred him. Every time he looked into the mirror and stuck his tongue out, there would be a small indent at the very spot where Zero bit him.

For some reason it had scarred. Maybe because it was on his tongue. No one's going to find out that easily (and even if they tried Kain would've made them fodder for fire). But his cousin did comment that Kain was being 'so not funny' every time the blond caught Kain with his tongue out in front of the mirror.

Kain hardly bothered with what Aido said, but got a major yelling from his younger cousin when he came home one day with a tongue piercing.

The slight indent made the tattoo-man more than happy since he didn't have to do much. What shocked him was that Kain, wanted the pierce without numbing. Tattoo-man tried convincing him but to no avail. He simply thought Kain was a sadist or something.

No matter, he never knew what got over him. Kain actually ended his day with a pierced tongue, with a stud at first. The pierce was positioned off-centered, towards the right.

He purchased a silver ring, about a third of a centimeter thick with an engraving. After he left the store, he immediately went back to the dormitory and headed straight for the bathroom.

As swiftly as he could, he removed the stud and in order to replace it with the ring. It had hurt. A lot. And there was a lot of blood as well. Kain was cursing almost every other second. Luckily Aido was deeply asleep at that time. No one commented about the scent of his blood either.

Screw the healing abilities of vampires. Sometimes it's not all that beneficial after all. The pierce was closing right after he removed the stud. He had to literally break his own flesh to get the thin bit of the tongue ring in.

When evening came around, everyone in the Night Dormitory was shocked to see Kain with his new tongue piercing. Not that it was uncommon, but a tongue pierce tends to be almost unseen. Even Kaname was surprised. But since it was Kain, he turned a blind eye despite him breaking a 'school rule'.

The next night, the vampires were in class, listening to the teacher who babbled on about human ethics. Most of them were deaf to it, simply reading a book or doing whatever they wanted. Kain wasn't doing anything, simply staring out at the full moon.

About an hour of class, Kain noticed something white falling from the sky.

It was snow.

Vampires tend to be unbothered by weather, and pretty much lose track of the seasons coming and going.

Furthermore, being a fire manipulator, feeling cold was hardly possible for Kain.

"Sensei," Kaname interrupted smoothly, and the older vampire at the front paused. "If I may be excused for a while…?"

Not that the teacher had the obligation to stop the higher ranking vampire… "Yes, you may."

"Kaname-sama, are you feeling unwell?" Aido and Ruka asked almost simultaneously, getting up from their seats.

The pureblood raised his hand, placing his book on the table at the same time. "It's alright. I just wish to check on something."

_Check on Yuuki… huh…_ Kain thought silently.

It was occasionally exhilarating for him to know why Kaname cared about that human child so much. It was definitely a sin for a vampire to fall for a human, but it wasn't as if any could prevent a pureblood from doing that. What's the worse which could happen anyway? The next child born was simply an aristocrat…

Flame-colored eyes averted to the windows of the classroom. The amount of snow descending from the skies was increasing. It started no more than a few minutes ago, but the ground was already a white bed.

A movement occurred at the corner of his eyes, and he saw three silhouettes at the balcony where the prefects tend to keep watch.

Kain narrowed his eyes at the sight of the human girl, ex-human vampire and pureblood. They were speaking to each other. What, he could not hear, but he didn't like the look on Zero's face. The hunter looked very crossed… yet very saddened at the same time.

Yuki was standing behind him at first. Then, Kaname reached his hand out. Kain would have thought Zero wouldn't let Yuki go over to the pureblood's side, but surprisingly, he did. In fact, he reached to the back and ushered her towards Kaname.

Kain got up from his seat and exited the room with haste, although not showing it. Aido had called out to his cousin in wonder, and so did the teacher, but he didn't care. He didn't like the look on Zero's face at all.

Within seconds, he was up the staircase which led to the balcony. Kaname and Yuki were already within the confines of the building where it was warmer, and Kain could see the flushed cheeks on the girl's face. Out of the cold or embarrassment, he didn't know, and didn't care. His eyes were affixed on a large, black jacket which definitely did not belong to her.

Kaname greeted the other vampire with a tiny smile. "Is something the matter?"

Some part of Kain wanted to ignore the pureblood. Zero was nowhere in sight of the corridors, so he must still be out in the balcony. It was probably freezing out there for a human, and Yuki had _his_ jacket warming her back. He just wanted to get to the hunter's side…

"It's nothing," he replied and walked pass the two, briskly walking towards the balcony. As he did so, he heard Kaname and Yuki making their way down the stairs, softly conversing among themselves.

Zero was still on the balcony. He was settled on the floor, with his back against the wall. Indeed, he wasn't wearing his jacket and was only in the collared piece. That white top was heavily spotted from melt snow, and Kain could distinctly see his shivering.

As he approached, the hunter lifted his gun in his direction. Without even looking, Zero knew he had an accurate aim at the intruding vampire's head. With a glare, he side-glanced at Kain.

"What do you want?"

"Wouldn't it be better if you came into the building?"

The safety of the gun was removed with a click.

"Don't answer with a question."

Kain wanted to shake his head at Zero's die-hard attitude. He was sure that Zero was using the gun only because he wanted to be left alone. But seeing Zero in this state, shaking against the ridiculous cold, Kain could hardly bear to do nothing.

With a dry look, he approached Zero, heedless of the gun. If Zero really did dare pull the trigger, he was confident his speed would surpass that of the bullet.

As Kain had expected, Zero did not pulled the trigger at all. His breathing hitched instead, sounding like he was in pain. Out of concern, the redhead was by the hunter's side, partially pinning the hand with the gun onto the floor. Zero hardly resisted.

Kain managed to see that the other's lips were slightly purple, as if bruised. He was sure it was due to the cold, and he knew he had better get Zero into the safety of the building or else… well, who knew.

Shrugging off his white jacket, Kain threw it over Zero's head. The other vampire blinked.

"Come on. Let's go in," Kain said softly, reaching for Zero's hand.

Zero avoided Kain's hand, only to find his hand numb from the cold. His fingers were already barely grasping his gun.

"I… don't want to go in…"

Kain let out a loud sigh. If Zero was trying to be difficult, he didn't have to try to be. So the kid wanted to freeze his ass off before he's content? Not under his watch.

The redhead sat down on the snow, feeling the cold seep through his pants. However, it went unbothered as Kain reached over to the prefect. Despite Zero resisting by elbowing him, he gave a rough tug which forced the prefect onto his chest.

A small blush crept to Zero's face. The incident a few days back was still vivid in his head. He couldn't tell if Kain was serious about it, or simply mocking him. Obviously, he leaned on the latter reason; it was mockery more than affection. Not that he wanted to really stereotype him as a vampire… but Kain was just unreadable.

Zero found himself leaning against Kain regardless of his suspicion towards the other. For something supposedly cold-hearted, he could not help but admit that it was relaxing. Kain felt like a fully fuctioning heat pad. He kept telling himself to either push Kain away, or walk away on his own. But his body was doing otherwise. He could hear a strong heartbeat, although his ear wasn't totally pressed against Kain's chest.

_Vampires had no heart…_

But that thought drifted away soon enough. There, sitting in the freezing open, Zero had accidentally let his thoughts wander, which ended with him sliding into sub-consciousness. He felt Kain shifting, but he was partially asleep enough that his mouth didn't utter his annoyance.

Kain had been staring into the distance, where it was pitch black. Even the town lights had faded in the snow. He averted his gaze down. He gave a small smirk. Zero let his guard down too much around him. Not that he had an evil intention.

"You'd better not be like this when you're with other vampires…" He whispered. Kain leaned over, wrapping his arm around Zero's lithe form, able to feel the other's shivering form. "You're too vulnerable."

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Reason of why Zero didn't want to leave will be explained later.


	2. Chapter 2

Surprise suprise! I am back and rockin rolling! XD Don't be shocked with Kain's bad habit; he seems like a bad boy enough ;D AND AND AND THANKS TO YENGIRL FOR BETA (panics) ALWAYS AND ONLY YENGIRL

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**Burning Lantern Bright**

Kain dangled the cigarette between his index and middle finger, over the ledge. Perhaps one of his bad habits he could admit to was smoking. Yes, smoking. Apart from hunter-charmed things though, nothing seemed to affect vampires the way it did for humans. Kain knew he wasn't addicted to smoking, anyway; he just found it amusing. Add the fact that he didn't even require a lighter or a match to light a cigarette.

No one knew about this habit of his since he usually did it during the day. After a smoke he'd usually take a shower along with a mouth wash to rid the scent, seeing as vampire senses were sharper than sharp. It didn't matter if he was found out, though.

The sun had risen about four hours ago and most of the Night Dormitory residents were most likely asleep. Aido was snoring away under silk sheets. His bed blinds were down since he knew Kain had the habit of leaving their velvet curtains open and letting the blasted sunlight streaming in through the windows.

Kain kept himself busy with the replay of the incident last night. Every time, when he came to the part when Kaname was leading Yuki out the balcony, he got slightly pissed. He obviously knew the rivalry between Kaname and Zero, for that human girl. Everyone in the Night Dormitory did, anyway. But that wasn't the issue. What was really bugging him was the small conversation he had with Zero last night... when the latter was talking in his sleep

"_I thought you would be a little smarter than to remain out there and freeze yourself to death," Kain had sighed as he picked Zero up. He supported the hunter's middle back with one arm and hooked his other arm under the long legs, lifting the other up with ease. _

"_It was… Kaname's… fault…" came the soft, slurred reply. _

_The redhead was startled for a moment - he thought the hunter was asleep. He looked down at the other's face. Zero looked like he was still asleep, since he wasn't opening his eyes or resisting being carried. _

"_Sleep talking?" _

"_Stupid… Kaname…" _

_Kain scoffed a little at the name, walking towards the balcony doors. He was about to ask why when Zero's muttered something which made him freeze. _

"_It... can't be me… can it?"_

Kain forcefully stubbed the burning end of the cigarette butt into the balcony ledge. He didn't want to take the words to mean something different, but his first interpretation was that… Zero wanted Kaname to 'choose' him. For what, he wasn't sure. And he intended to find out what.

Turning around, he was about to turn in for the day when he heard a conversation going on in the next room. Usually, the walls and windows of the Night Dormitory were soundproofed for privacy, but the next door neighbor seemed to have left his balcony window slightly ajar.

And that neighbor just happened to be the dormitory leader.

Kain wasn't interested in the conversation Kaname had; it was usually business, if nothing else. He was stretching his arms in the air, giving a yawn when he heard a second voice. Immediately, his back stiffened as he strained his ears to make sure he wasn't hearing wrongly.

"What do you want now?"

It was Zero.

Kain walked over to the other end of the balcony with haste, finding that the window was truly left ajar. The wave of the curtains allowed him to peer in, and true enough, he saw the hunter standing with his arms crossed, leaning against a desk.

"It seems to me you've made a new companion," Kaname replied calmy. The pureblood was most likely at the other end of the room, since he was not in Kain's line of vision.

"You called me here just to tell me that? Kain didn't do anything."

"Now, why would I need to know that?" Kaname sounded amused. "Are you still angry about the incident last night?"

"I… never mind. It's nothing. If there isn't anything else, I'm leaving."

Zero dropped his arms, pushing himself off the desk. Yet, before he could take a step forward, Kaname was on him. The pureblood literally pushed the hunter onto the desk, pinning him down with a single hand while the other had his wrists, forcing Zero's arms above his head.

Kain found himself gritting his teeth. Whatever the dormitory leader intended to do to the prefect, he was sure he wasn't going to like it at all. His hand fisted with belated realization that whether he liked it or not, he might not even be able to prevent what was coming next.

Kaname lowered his face, his brown locks falling onto Zero's face. The hunter turned away, leaving his neck vulnerable. Mentally, Kain was yelling at the boy not to do that, because in vampire society, it was an obvious sign of submission.

The brunette dropped his head even lower, his mouth opening slowly. The back of elegant, elongated fangs slid across the pale skin and even Kain could hear Zero's breath hitch out of nervousness. The hunter's hatred of vampires was well known, so of course this wasn't surprising.

What was surprising though, was the slightly pained look on Zero's face, although it was mostly hidden by ire.

_Zero, why aren't you resisting?! _Kain thought with growing panic. Even though he knew that to resist was a futile effort against a pureblood and one as strong as Kaname was, it would have made him feel a tad better to know that Zero wasn't… _letting_ Kaname do this to him.

The hunter gave a strangled sort of hiccup when Kaname bit him. It didn't look like it was a gentle bite, either.

The scent of fresh blood immediately aroused Kain's own fangs, and the redhead slammed his back against the wall, putting the scene before him out of sight. His other hand clamped over his mouth. Kain could already feel his fangs prodding his lower lip quite dangerously and his fist only tightened harder, threatening to break skin.

Kain knew the two had probably heard him shuffling against the wall. There were a few things in which could happen: the dormitory leader could continue feeding, or he would stop. If he stopped, he would either continue to ignore Kain, or walk out onto his balcony to give him a reprimand.

But Kain was worried about what he _himself _might do to the pureblood.

Vampires were truly protective of their mates. Even a to-be. Not that Kain had outwardly shown that he had wanted Zero. Somewhere at the back of his head, a voice reminded him that his opponent was not just his dorm leader but a pureblood. And as a pureblood, anything, and everything, could be theirs if they wanted. Even another vampire's mate.

Kain ground his teeth together. Screw it. He didn't care if he was going to get punished or killed. It wasn't the first time in history a lower level had attempted to protect their mate from a pureblood. Most didn't live to tell about it, but it was more about the principle about it than your life, right?

With silent swiftness, Kain jumped over the wall to the neighboring balcony and none-too-gently pushed the glass door to the side. Zero jumped at the sight of the other vampire, whereas Kaname was as calm as ever, slowly removing his fangs from the hunter's neck and licking the blood away.

Zero struggled out of Kaname's grip, not wanting to be further seen in such a humiliating position. The pureblood let him go, and the hunter slipped off the desk, turning his head away and quickly pulling the front of his shirt close, covering the bite. Without a word, he exited the room with haste.

Kain intended to go after him, but noticed that Kaname's gaze was burning into him quite intensely now.

_Crap, what am I going to do now…_ Kain thought to himself, already regretting his spontaneous, protective and totally illogical action.

"Do you have something you need, Kain?" Kaname finally asked as he brushed at the corner of his lips with his thumb.

It didn't look like Kaname was keen on killing him. At least, not yet. Kain finally found something to talk about besides his intrusion so he quickly replied: "What do you think… Zero was angry about last night?"

"Ah, that. It seems to me he was a little… jealous," Kaname returned with a small smile and walked over to the couch, gracefully settling down on it. "He's one hard to please… "

"Jealous about you, or Yuki?" Kain asked without thinking. Immediately, he tilted his head down. "My apologies. It isn't my business-"

"Kain, have you an affinity for Zero?" The brunette interrupted smoothly.

The redhead blinked as his head came up, before a glare replaced the look of surprise. _So be it…_

"Yes, I do."

"And I would be hindering you from making him your mate, wouldn't I?"

Kain looked away. Silently, he swore to himself.

So Kaname knew, or at least guessed his initial intention ever since he found out Zero was a vampire. But Kain had never intended to force the hunter.

He shook his head. "I don't want him to be my mate if he doesn't want to… But one thing for sure, I won't forgive anyone who hurts him."

Kain turned to look straight into deep brown eyes. "Even if it were you."

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okay this chap doesn't explain why zero didn't want to leave... cough. next chap. i promise. I feel bad making Kain do all the stuff he shouldn't... but he can pass off, don't you think? Okay I am literally bullet train-ing through BLB, so i apologise if everything seems to quick.

Btw, late note: I can NEVER differentiate first/last name for people. especially un-obvious ones like aido hanabusa and akatsuki kain. dont know which came first: the hen or the egg -glares at the names- I apologise for any misconceptions


	3. Chapter 3

lol whut. i found it again! thanks yengirl for beta!  


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**Burning Lantern Bright**

Kain found Zero hanging at the stables. About twenty minutes had passed since the face-off between the aristocrat and the pureblood. After Kain's last remark, most of it was silence. Kaname did not further comment about the issue they were on and finally dismissed Kain, expressing a wish to be alone.

Kain's frown deepened at the memory of Kaname drinking Zero's blood. The pureblood needn't have drunk from Zero _that_ painfully. The redhead knew how it felt like being bitten and painfully, courtesy of his reckless playboy cousin.

Zero was in the same stall as a white mare. He had conveniently wedged himself between her and the stable wall. The hunter was slim enough, making the stall look spacious but Kain wasn't sure he could get in there without getting himself either squished in the remaining space or trampled by the horse.

Conveniently enough, the mare had her rear end facing him so he went to the side of the stall carefully. He could tell Zero was ignoring him on purpose and had probably stepped into the stall, knowing that the horse would prevent Kain from coming in after him. Besides, the horse knew of the aristocrat's presence, and was looking over her shoulder at him with black, beady eyes.

Well, there were other ways to get the hunter's attention and the easiest one was…

"Zero," Kain called out, leaning over the single wooden bar.

Zero refused to answer despite hearing his name being called. He was patting Lily's face, calming her down due to the appearance of the other vampire although she did not look afraid. The hunter had every intention of ignoring the aristocrat; Kain had just seen Kaname and him in a situation embarrassing enough to die from.

It wasn't the first time, though. This had happened every now and then ever since Zero took the pureblood's blood. He… he had lost track of the number of times.

Zero knew that most people would have thought that he would never let another vampire bite him again. He had thought so too and yet, his emotions betrayed him. They attached him to the one he despised, the one he hated. Zero never understood why but that was the reason he never resisted when Kaname bit him.

Another reason – and this was the one Zero tried to convince himself with – was the fact that the pureblood was less likely to bite Yuki out of desperation for blood if he had another source. Zero had always loved her, and would die for her. Hence, to ensure that for another day Kaname wouldn't bite her, Zero let himself endure the pain even though he knew Kaname would never bite Yuki the same way.

But it wasn't just the physical pain of being bitten that Zero had to endure. No… it was also the shame of knowing that Kaname was aware of how attracted Zero was to him and held him ransom to it. Behind closed doors, Kaname was brutal with his fangs; every single piercing was done in the manner which inflicted the most pain. He knew Zero would endure each bite without question.

"This is not something you should let him do."

Zero blinked out of his thoughts, looking over at Kain by accident. Subconsciously, he realized that he had a hand on the right side of his neck, covering the bite Kaname had created a short while ago even though it was pointless since Kain already knew.

"It's none of your business."

"Why are you allowing him to do what you hate? I would've thought that amongst all, you'd be the first to rid any vampire who went near you."

That stung. But only because it was the truth. Zero gritted his teeth and let his head drop a little. "What I do is none of your concern!"

That line struck a nerve in Kain.

"How could you say that?" He growled out.

The hunter felt a sudden chill down his back. His back stiffened so much that he couldn't move. He wanted to avoid Kain's gaze as much as possible now.

First of all, Zero couldn't understand why the aristocrat was so… _keen _in wanting to know what was going on between him and Kaname. He would've thought that Kain was the one who was the least bothered about affairs that did not concern him. And it was strange but hearing those words coming from the aristocrat made Zero's heart jump a little. He couldn't help wondering if somehow, Kain might actually care for him.

Might. The other possibility was that the aristocrat just intended to rub salt in his wounds.

"Does he know that you like him?"

Zero's gaze widened. How did Kain-

The redhead gave a loud sigh, raking his messy hair back. "I should've guessed it sooner…"

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't like Kaname," the hunter lied, just only managing to avoid stutters but sounding far more defensive than he had intended to.

"Don't lie!" Kain hissed back, slamming his hands down on the wooden rail hard enough that an audible crack was heard. Zero flinched at the sound, but more importantly, from the sudden sweet scent of blood - Kain failed to notice that splinter had embedded itself in the palm of one hand.

The horse of the stable jumped.

"I haven't been watching you all these while to not know what your behavior is like. In true fact, you're afraid of the Dorm Leader, and because you also like him, you allow him to do what _he _wants," Kain accused, not even sure if what he said was right – he was just going by instinct.

But most of it was right.

Zero gritted his teeth as fury peaked in his blood. The attractive scent of blood hadn't helped either, because his chest was aching to have it. He was trying to suppress his emotions and need at the same time, holding himself back from jumping Kain. He stormed over angrily, grabbing Kain's shirt and glaring up at him.

"So you think you know about me? Presume that whatever you have seen was the real person called Kiryuu Zero?" Zero growled, baring his fangs without hesitation.

"Don't make me laugh," he scoffed and let go, pushing Kain away at the same time. Zero turned around, burying his face in a hand. An aching, emotional pain had formed in his chest.

Zero jumped when he felt two arms encircling his chest and pulling him back. He winced softly as his lower back pressed against the partially broken wood of the rail, but his upper back was resting against a surprisingly warm body, which momentarily crashed his thought about 'cold' vampires.

"You never open up to anyone, so how would I know the real you?" Kain whispered by the hunter's ear, causing the latter's heart to race. The warm breath tickled his ear and Zero caught a faint scent of cigarette smoke. He never knew Kain smoked. Secretly, Zero found himself blushing although he could not have said why.

"You're right, Zero. There's so much that I have to learn about you. But I can't do it without you telling or showing me."

Zero looked up and over his shoulder, where Kain's face was. His blush immediately deepened, but for some reason his body wasn't pulling away. Being with Kain somehow gave him a sense of… assurance and calmness, especially with the way they were standing at the present moment.

By right Zero should have been feeling hatred, disgust or something along that line. Maybe even fear, because the aristocrat could bite him easily now. But Kain wasn't staring at his neck. He was looking straight into amethyst-silver eyes, with no hidden agenda. For a moment there, Zero thought that he could actually _trust_ Kain.

"Why," the hunter murmured softly. "Why do you dumb vampires do what you do?"

Kain was slightly stunned by the question. He wasn't exactly sure what Zero was getting at. Slight nervousness tingled in his blood – he was afraid that giving a wrong answer would destroy the sudden fragile peace between them now.

"I guess it's because we want to."

It was the safest answer he could think of but Kain still prepared himself for a sudden lash of words or even a punch. Zero was mysterious enough as he was; predicting his actions was even harder.

Nevertheless, Kain didn't show that he was startled when Zero took his wrist. The hunter turned his hand palm up and Kain was surprised to see an inch long splinter diagonally embedded in his flesh, just below his thumb. It wasn't that he was completely immune to pain, but he had a high tolerance to it. He didn't even flinch when Zero pulled the splinter out. It had gone in at least half an inch, leaving a rather deep wound in the flesh.

Zero brought Kain's injured hand up to his lips, continuing when he found that Kain did not resist at all. Slowly, the hunter let his tongue brush against the bleeding palm, slightly teasing the intact flesh on either side of the wound with his fangs.

The redhead could feel the tempting pricks of the sharp teeth, but said nothing. Instead, he dropped his head and started to reciprocate the act, teasing the hunter's nape with the sides of his own fangs. A soft growl escaped Zero's lips as if in annoyance, before Kain felt two distinct punctures along his arm, just below his wrist.

He held back from biting Zero. Kain didn't want to do what the other hadn't given him permission for. Besides, this was probably a test from the hunter to see if the aristocrat gave in to temptation. It was an ability most vampires lacked; instincts drove them wild. Despite him being nicknamed _Wild_ though, Kain's tolerance and resistance to such stuff was much higher than anyone he knew. Well, over his cousin, by the least.

Kain inhaled Zero's scent instead, wrapping his free arm tighter around the hunter. The stupid, half-broken wooden rail was in his way but that was just as well, otherwise he might've let Zero feel _something else_.

Zero released Kain's hand after taking about two mouthfuls of blood. He didn't really need it, even though Kaname had bitten him earlier. The hunter was just curious to see Kain's reaction but surprisingly, Kain didn't seem keen on biting him back. Zero felt relieved even though he would never have admitted to it.

"Zero, forget Kaname. He doesn't treat you the way you deserve to be treated," Kain whispered, his tone serious with a hint of anger and possible jealousy.

A crushing emotion sank in Zero's chest. He knew all along that Kaname never did reciprocate his feelings. He knew he was an idiot to let Kaname do what he wanted, but he couldn't help it. Each time Kaname fed from him was immensely painful since the pureblood was never gentle at all but what hurt Zero most was the emotional wounds he sustained.

Kaname always, _always_, spoke of Yuki, with every intention of making Zero fume. He loved her as well, but it was a different, sibling sort of love. And even siblings could get jealous of one another. Kaname would sweet talk her in front of Zero and it made him sick in the gut. What was worse, the pureblood would toss him several sly glances at the same time, increasing Zero's feelings of betrayal. Zero hated vampires even more, he did, but. ..

Zero jumped when a pair of hands on his shoulders suddenly turned him around, forcing him to face the taller vampire. Both of them locked gazes, one serious and intense, the other surprised and confused.

"Your love for him is only burning lantern bright."

Zero blinked, speechless for a moment. It was an odd way of describing the depth of _love_ that way…

"And you think you love me more than that?" he scoffed, shrugging off the other's hands. Kain reluctantly let go.

"I don't know," came the quick reply. For a moment there, Zero felt like hitting him but Kain was speaking again, talking even faster.

"But I do know that I would never do anything you don't like, or don't want. I'll give you what I can, which probably isn't a lot, but I'll try. If there is anything you don't like about me, I'll change it for sure-"

Zero rolled his eyes. Kain did not sound like the Kain he knew. This was the first time he had heard the cool and calm redhead babble like a wrecked radio and Zero suspected Kain wasn't even sure what he was talking about.

"You're sounding pretty desperate there," Zero sighed.

Kain shut his open jaw, reaching for the back of his neck and rubbing it. He gave a sigh.

"Bottom line is that I love you, Zero. I don't want anyone else to have you." _Especially someone who doesn't even know how to treat you right…_

This time, it was Zero who sighed. Kain was so weird, acting like a big, tough guy at first and now reduced to acting like a small kid. Secretly though, Zero found that rather endearing. So the big, strong and silent guy of the Night Dormitory had flaws too. The hunter was rather touched by Kain's words, if not cheesed out by it.

Still, Zero could tell that it came from Kain's heart, not his head. And well, maybe… all the pain Kaname had caused him in the past could be pushed aside after all. They did say that love sometimes begin with hate, after all.

Maybe. In time.

"You said you'll do anything, won't you?" Zero asked as he tested the strength of the cracked rail by pushing it down. It seemed to be holding out well.

"You name it."

"Then stop smoking. It stinks," the hunter immediately shot back like a nagging mother.

Kain gave a small grin and said 'OKs' immediately. Zero turned around and propped himself up onto the railing, beside the cracked point. Without hesitation, the redhead he wrapped his arms around Zero's waist, holding onto him and preventing him from falling off.

Given his height, he could rest his chin nicely on Zero's shoulder.

"Whatever you ask me to do, I'm still yours."

"Idiot. What kind of words are those?" Zero scoffed, feeling the nice warmth radiating out from Kain. It reminded him of yesterday.

"Look," Kain said.

The hunter did, looking over his shoulder to see Kain sticking out his tongue. A silver ring piercing on the flesh caught his attention, but more importantly, he saw the tiny engraving on it. Vertically aligned on the silver were the four letters of his name.

"Idiot."

Zero's soft voice held a smile and Kain's heart warmed.

"Call me what you like, but it's not going anywhere."

Zero couldn't help but give a tiny smile this time.

"You know, I didn't want to leave the balcony last night."

"I'm rather curious to know why."

Zero clasped his hands together, dropping his head. "I wanted to wait… to see if Kaname would come back."

Kain kept silent.

"But you came, and you stayed. You could've forced me to go in, but you didn't. You stayed with me outside, in the freezing cold. You didn't leave me."

Zero dropped his head back onto Kain's shoulder, staring up at the hut-like ceiling. "I really appreciate it."

(A/N Zero's words are directly translated from jap. If they sounded funny… well)

The redhead looked at Zero's side profile, catching the smile that lingered on his lips. It was beautiful.

"I'll always be there when you need me."

"Even if I went to hell?" Zero crudely joked, almost but not quite hiding the note of pain in his voice.

Kain smirked and reached over to intertwine his hand with the hunter's.

"Hell's flame wouldn't burn stronger than mine," the aristocrat chuckled, placing a kiss on the hunter's forehead.

* * *

... i know this will sound really bad, but i couldn't be stuffed explaining too much about Lily -sweats- I'm sorry this took so long. the draft was ready ages ago but i never got around to properly do it. Mostly because i thought it was too quick for kain and zero to get together. but i did say before, i am bullet training this story... -cough- if it's too quick, i'm really sorry... and three over months without an update! gaspage i'm sorry again! -bows bows bows- please forgive me ;A; next chap is the last one...


	4. Chapter 4

What? WHAAAAAAAAAT???? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS you might be wondering. Yes an update. From the suddenly disappearing author.... Fnal chap guys. enjoy it while it lasts OTL  


* * *

Akatsuki would try to occasionally try to hide his grin of triumph. It was a big success for him – never in his entire life, vampire years, would he have thought that Zero would agree to be taken under his wing.

They both parted when Zero seemingly excused himself as he had classes. The redhead watched the silhouette of the hunter disappear from the doorway before making his own way back to him room, where he thought he could have gotten the best sleep since forever.

He casually strolled under the sun, uncaring of the UV annoyingly prickling his skin. What made him actually felt annoyed was from the moment he saw his vampire leader standing by the door of his room in the dormitory.

The pureblood looked as calm as ever, and not a single emotion was shown. His arms were crossed, and looked like he had been waiting for a while now.

Akatsuki frowned a little when they made eye contact. He looked away after, passing Kaname and reaching for the doorknob when the pureblood spoke.

"May I have a word with you? It shouldn't take long." It wasn't a request.

Straightening up, he nodded. He was sure he was prepared for whatever Kaname would do, be it a quarrel or maybe even a fight. All he knew was that he wasn't going to let Kaname have Zero and watch the latter being treated the way he witnessed it.

"Come. This place isn't suitable for our conversation," Kaname said and began walking in the direction of his room. Without hesitation, the redhead followed.

In the brunette's room, Kaname settled himself on the couch, and Akatsuki opted to stand before him, out of a decent respect he still had for the pureblood.

"I see you've gotten along well with Zero," Kaname began, crossing his legs and leaning back. He eyed Akatsuki for any emotional changes.

With that single line alone, Akatsuki started imagining what Kaname intended to do. Arouse jealousy, or had the intention to pick a fight? Maybe an encouraging statement, but Akatsuki doubted it. His hands fisted, and sparks were flying.

"I never expected anyone to be drawn to him, frankly. He's such a solitary creature."

That sentence made Akatasuki's blood boil. Zero was a lone wolf, Akatsuki knew. All the more he wanted to be with him. He wanted, and knew he could show Zero that his life doesn't have to be lived alone.

And that a potential partner would never hurt him in any way.

"And that one-sided love of his is simply _amusing_."

Immediately, a glare was sent towards the brunette sitting on the couch. Kaname gave a slightly amused smile at the response.

"All the more I am glad that I had taken him away from you," Akatsuki suddenly growled without thinking. His mind was screaming at him to stop and remember just who he was talking to right now. But his heart was saying otherwise. "Zero isn't some toy for you to play with. He's not something you can pick up and mess around with for your own amusement. Just because you're a pureblood it doesn't give you the right to mess with his emotions." _Shut up Kain!_ His mind was telling him. "So if you ever come close to him again, I _will _kill you."

The redhead froze. That wasn't meant to come out of his mouth. He hadn't realized that his arm had circlets of flame which blossomed through his anger. He restrained his powers and the fire dissipated. Silently, he was swearing at himself for digging his grave. However, for Zero, he gritted his teeth and waited for anything which would descend upon him.

The two vampires in Kaname's room stared at each other eye to eye. They searched each other for a response or a reply which lasted several seconds before the brunette broke it.

Akatsuki got startled when Kaname started chuckling.

"My eyes were set on the right person," he sighed out, and the aristocrat was thoroughly confused.

He was expecting a sudden lash out from the pureblood, but here he was with an amused face.

Kaname stood up and walked to his work desk, not at all bothered by Akatsuki's gaze on him.

Suddenly, Akatsuki could tell that the pureblood was different - the atmosphere of rivalry died, and became saddening instead.

"Dorm leader…?"

Kaname looked over his shoulder with smile, but Akatsuki could tell it was a painful one. He was stunned for seconds, wondering what had gone wrong.

"That day when it snowed – I should thank you for it. It was then I could find someone whom I know could take care of Zero," he started. Kaname gracefully picked up a black ink pen, and aimlessly twirled it with his fingers. "I do know how Zero feels towards me, Akatsuki."

"And I suppose you have a reason for the way you treat him the way you did?"

There was a quick, affirmative reply.

"Have you ever felt that you were being pulled in two different directions before?" Kaname asked as he averted his gaze to the redhead. Akatsuki stiffened, but gave no reply. "Whatever I tell you from now on stays between the both of us - you, me and only the walls of this room."

Knowing it was an order, Akatsuki bowed his head.

"A war will reach the gates of this very school, Akatsuki. One I cannot avoid. And because of this war, I am only capable of protecting one person. It was a decision between Yuki and Zero. Even my power cannot protect the both of them. It was either one, or none."

"So you decided on Cross?"

Kaname gave another pained smile. "Yes, I chose her. Although it meant that I couldn't protect Zero, if he kept enough distance away from me, his safety is less compromised. I tried what I could – to seem like a cruel person ignorant of his feelings. To have inflicted the pain I never wanted him to feel was pure agony…"

Then, it clicked. "You love Zero," Akatasuki whispered. The brunette tightened his grip on the pen he held.

"I love him as much as I do Yuki. If it was within my power both of them would be by my side. But I know that cannot happen. It was a painful decision, but you eased it the moment I saw you with Zero in the snow."

"So you came back? What had you intended to do if I wasn't there?" Akatsuki asked, and realized that he had sounded too casual. But Kaname didn't mind.

"Heaven knows. It was agonizing to have left him up there alone in the cold. It was also a bad decision. If you weren't there, he might've frozen to death. His stubborn side is so childish sometimes," Kaname chuckled, placing the pen on the table. "That's why I was glad when I saw you there. The way you held Zero, I knew you were someone I could count on to take care of him."

Akatsuki snorted. "So I'm being a caretaker?"

"A friend and lover, perhaps. Zero's life would be better if I wasn't near him," Kaname let out a small sigh. "I have one request, Akatsuki Kain, and one which is not from a pureblood, but from Kaname Kuran. Protect him, from the world, and maybe even me."

---

Night came, and Akatsuki ditched his first class to find Zero. The hunter was on the balcony where the guardians kept watch, alone. Zero was casually leaning on the rail, staring into the dark distance. He noticed Akatsuki approaching, and looked over to the doorway.

The redhead walked out, hands in his pockets.

Zero dropped his head a little, mentally embarrassed from the incident earlier in the day and turned back to watching the pitch black horizon. He pretended to ignore Akatsuki, but failed to do so when the redhead suddenly appeared behind him and wrapped his arms around his middle. A small blush immediately crept to his face.

"Oi, get off. You're heavy," Zero grumbled, elbowing the other slightly.

Akatsuki mumbled an excuse about keeping Zero warm on his neck.

The hunter let out a sigh and let him be. He was truly warm after all.

"Is something wrong?" Zero asked, sensing that Akatsuki was a little odd.

The redhead closed his eyes, the words of the pureblood repeating in his head, and more importantly the line he had replied.

_Even if you didn't tell me, I will protect him._

"Shooting star!"Zero suddenly exclaimed and Akatsuki looked up just in time to see a sparkly object shifting and disappearing. He chuckled, saying that Zero was like a child and the hunter snorted. "Whatever," and he fell silent.

From the back, Aktasuki couldn't see what Zero was doing, so he shifted to the side to see Zero with his eyes closed, as if asleep.

"Zero?"

"Done," came the reply and amethyst eyes looked over to see Akatsuki's.

"What?"

"I'm not telling you."

The redhead gave a small evil grin and tightened his grip on Zero, causing the latter to give a small gasp. Akatsuki turned him around and quite easily hoisted him up, placing him on the rail. Being about three stories high, Zero had absolutely no intention of being thrown over and instinctively circled his arms around Akatsuki, in which at the moment leveled at his neck.

"Oi Akatsuki!" Zero hissed, hanging on for his dear life.

Akatsuki chuckled, leaning over and locked his hands at Zero's lower back like a safety harness. He dropped his head on Zero's chest, able to hear his racing heartbeat.

Zero mentally sighed, gently intertwining his fingers through the messy red locks. Being able to feel the other's warmth, he felt at ease. Without much thought, he curled over the taller person, giving him a hug.

"Thank you, Akatsuki…" Zero whispered, sure that the other would hear it. "That day when Kaname had brought Yuki indoors, I knew Kaname would have never accepted my feelings for him. I had a thought of just remaining here and maybe dying… but you came. The stupid fool who had stayed by my side in the freezing cold until dawn."

The hunter fell silent, but Akatsuki waited, sure that he was going to speak further.

"When I woke up to find you holding onto me, something in me changed. When you told me my love for him was only burning lantern bright, I realized that I was a fool."

Akatsuki pulled back and Zero straightened as well, looking a little embarrassed. The redhead gave a small smile and leaned over, catching the hunter off guard. He placed his lips on the other's. He didn't want to push his luck, so he had not made it as intimate as their first one, and retreated after.

Surprised, Zero just blinked. Belatedly, his face started to turn red, and he looked away.

"Zero," Akatsuki called out, and the hunter side glanced over. The vampire stuck his tongue out showing the silver ring. "Yours truly."

"Idiot," Zero let out a small laugh. It was a refreshing one, and Akatsuki smiled as well.

Keeping one hand on Zero to make sure he didn't fall off the rail, he used his other hand to gently grab one of Zero's. He made Zero's hand rest on his chest, where his heart was.

"From now and forever, this is yours and yours alone."

Warmth crept into his hand. Zero's gaze softened, before a smile was tugging at his lips.

"I don't want that," he said playfully, pulling his hand back.

"Then what would you like?" Akatsuki chuckled as he threatened to let go of Zero, forcing the hunter to wrap his arms around him once more.

On second floor, Kaname could finally smile as well.

* * *

End note: the war Kaname mentioned is referring to the one with Rido :) thought i could make use of it.

I suck i know OTL I'm so sorry |DDDD It's going to take me another decade before i can update my final ongoing story. I'M REALLY SORRY BLAME DISTRACTIONS. ok blame me. all on me. -sobs- There goes another KainXZero!! And sorry to disappoint if you actually expected Kain and Kaname to fight LOL.

yes, my dear reviewers. Review me the agony of your long wait so i can bury myself OTL


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